Sharon Wright Austin is a professor of Political Science at the University of Florida where she teaches courses in Asian American politics, African American politics, American politics, and public policy. She is the author of Race, Power, and Political Emergence in Memphis; The Transformation of Plantation Politics in the Mississippi Delta: Black Politics, Concentrated Poverty, and Social Capital in the Mississippi Delta; and The Caribbeanization of Black Politics: Race, Group Consciousness, and Political Participation in America. She has also published several articles and book chapters and is currently editing a book entitled Political Black Girl Magic: The Elections and Governance of Black Female Mayors. A popular political analyst and commentator, she has appeared on news programs in Australia, Canada, Korea, Moscow, Pakistan, Singapore, as well as on National Public Radio. Her op-eds/comments have appeared in news media outlets around the world including CNN, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and the Washington Post.
